User blog:The Milkman/The Graveyard Shift: March DLC Review
Another month, another expansion to PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. This round of add-on goodies gives us Isaac Clarke of the Dead Space franchise, and Zeus from God of War. Coincidentally, both franchises have recently released titles in need of advertising. What a coincidence! Have you purchased any of the new DLC? Yes, I bought it all. Yes, but just Isaac. Yes, but just Zeus. Yes, but just the map. Yes, I bought the map and Isaac. Yes, I bought the map and Zeus. Yes, I bought Isaac and Zeus. No, I haven't bought it. The Graveyard The newest map, Graveyard, is a mash-up of The Unfinished Swan and MediEvil. An odd combination sure, but then again, so is every other map. To be fair, I think that clash is what they were going for. It's a fairly standard affair, with not a lot of big platform changes or hazards. For the most part, it's a flat map, with not a lot of strategic manoeuvring needed. After a bit of fighting, the map is invaded by The Unfinished Swan, adding splashes of paint and additional temporary platform. Other than that, this map is pretty standard. If you are really desperate for more variety in the map area, or just love simple, straight-up maps (I know I do), you might consider picking this up. What do you think of the Graveyard map? I love it; money well spent. I think it's okay. I don't like it; it wasn't worth my money. The Olympian Another newcomer to the game, and the second one from the God of War franchise, Zeus joins the roster as a slow albeit heavy-hitting powerhouse, not unlike Big Daddy. And they can both shoot lightning out of their hands. Seriously, what is it with this game and lightning powers? I don't remember anyone asking for another God of War character, but it's still better than the Cole clones. Unlike Kratos, who is fast and agile, this big guy is more of a tank, essentially taking the Bowser role of PlayStation All-Stars along with Big Daddy. Moving slow and hitting hard, Zeus will feel familiar to those who main as Big Daddy. All five of them. Surprisingly, he seems pretty capable at mid-range, but he's still pretty easy to avoid, if you're clever. His volley of lightning attacks can land a succession of blows, racking up a good amount of AP. His directional triangle attacks can also garner a lot of AP if you can trap an enemy or two in them. His level one Super is pretty standard stuff; it's a simple attack that kills the enemy right in front of you, so long as they don't roll out of the way or interrupt your attack. His level two is interesting, as it sends out an area-of-effect attack like Evil Cole MacGrath and Isaac Clarke, the difference being he is able to float around before executing it. His level three is really fun to use. His attacks are varied and contextual, and with a good amount of hand-eye-coordination, you'll be able to cut down the competition in no time. Also, one of his skins is just him in pure gold. That's pretty pimp. What's your take on the King of the Gods? Love him. Money well spent. Hate him. Not worth the money. He's not really my style, but it's still a good addition, and a good deal. The Engineer As a huge fan of the Dead Space franchise, I was pleasantly pleased by how much I liked Isaac Clarke, despite my distaste for ranged characters. In spite of my personal preference, I found myself really enjoying him, because he is basically just MacGyver in space. Players familiar with Radec and Emmett Graves will take to Isaac like a fish to water. The iconic Plasma Cutter, his main weapon, fires in a three shot volley broken up by a quick reloading animation. Like Nathan Drake, he can also move forwards and backwards whilst doing this, allowing him to build AP up over time. Like Sweet Tooth, he can drop mines, and like Cole MacGrath, he's able to temporarily freeze enemies. His level one Super is very reminiscent of the ones used by Radec and Emmett. It starts out with a quick shot of stasis with a very limited range. If this misses however, the player can fire a straight shot in any direction in front of them. With a bit of aim and a touch of luck, this move can prove useful. His level two is basically a less mobile version of Zues's, and functions in exactly the same way Evil Cole MacGrath's level two does, in that it's an AoE insta-kill ball of death centred around the player. His level three sends him into space, resulting in a game of Asteroids with the enemy. It's not as good as Zeus's, but it's really fun to use regardless. My complaints are pretty minor, really. Even though one of the colour schemes for his Engineering R.I.G. resembles the Scorpion Suit, the decals are missing, which is a shame. The other thing that bothers me is how he holds his arm up to communicate with Ellie during his "Rival" cutscene. This is just a weird and unnecessary inconsistency. The Plasma Cutter only firing three shots I can understand; that's for the sake of balance. The cutscene thing is just... odd. And yes, this is mostly just pedantic nitpicking on my part, but they're errors warranting mention nonetheless. One small thing I really like however, is how Isaac's RIG changes dynamically depending on how high your AP meter is. It's a nice touch. I was really expecting him to not include any of his more iconic outfits from older titles (coughRaidencough). I thought they'd end up going with the Legionary Suit or Advanced Suit, but they didn't, and I'm grateful for that. However, I do wish we could have seen some more of the more iconic Dead Space weaponry, instead of just the improvised ones. Seriously, where's my contact beam? As a Dead Space fan, I'm pretty pleased with how Isaac is represented, for the most part. If you're a huge fan like me, or just really want to add another ranged character to the roster, I say go for it. What's your take on the Space MacGyver? Love him. Money well spent. Hate him. Not worth the money. He's not really my style, but it's still a good addition, and a good deal. The Other Stuff Other than an at-best simple if a bit creative map, I would have really liked to see themed maps make it in for both characters, specifically Zeus's Temple and the iconic Ishimura Bridge. Both of these locations would have been really interesting locations to explore. That said, the mash-up of MidEvil and The Unfinished Swan is still pretty cool. Another thing that puzzled me and struck me as a missed opportunity was the exclusion of any trophies. With the Fearless map, we got one measly trophy. It's easy enough to implement a trophy or two for each campaign, so why not? Oddly enough, we don't even get one for using Sir Daniel's level three super on Graveyard. At the end of the day, nothing too substantial was added, and I don't really see myself spending a whole lot of time with these new characters, but at least they add variety. I suppose there are worse ways to spend the $10 Sony gave me. More Milkman Want to read some more of my recent blogs? Here you go. *"Awakened Review: That's No Moon" *"Citadel Review: Entertaining and Inconsequential" *"Improving Revengeance" Category:Blog posts